Patrick Corbin pitched like the ace of the staff for Arizona and gave them a chance to win every time he pitched. The DBacks went 23-9 in the games that he started. He used the combination of a good fastball and a devastating slider that confused hitters when they came up to the plate against him. The southpaw won 14 games and pitched over 200 innings in his first full season in the rotation. He struck out 178 batters and only walked 54 with a 1.16 WHIP. Corbin held opposing batters to a .240 average and left-handers only hit .203 against him. He did struggle in the final month, as it looked like he ran out of gas. The rotation for Arizona is promising with him leading the way.

Francisco Liriano has been the best pitcher in the rotation for the Pirates’ this season. He now has the opportunity to send Pittsburgh back to NLDS. Liriano has been making hitters look foolish the whole season, by holding the opposition to a .224 average and left-handed batters can’t touch him with them only managing a .131 average. He loves to pitch at home, where he has an 8-1 mark with an ERA of 1.47. The southpaw handles pressure well by limiting teams to a .233 average with runners in scoring position and two outs. He has faced Cincinnati four times this season and his holding them to a .193 batting average.

The National League Central has been the most exciting division to watch in baseball this season. There were three teams each with their own strengths and weaknesses vying for one spot.

It was expected that it would take up to the final weekend in baseball to determine the winner of this division. The St.Louis Cardinals just recently wrapped up the division title and are now focusing on trying to finish the season with the best record in the NL.

Hunter Pence is having a great season for the Giants and has been one of their most productive players on offense for the team this season. He also plays very good defense as well with him having a fielding percentage of .981 and has only committed seven errors in the outfield. Pence has a .286 average on the season with 174 hits to include him hitting 25 HRs and having 93 RBIs. He has also stolen 21 bases and has only been caught three times. He loves to face left-handed pitchers with him having a .314 average against them. The right-handed hitter knows what to do with runners in scoring position, as indicated by a .291 average with 68 RBIs in this situation. He still hits well with two outs and runners in scoring position with a .317 batting average and 37 RBIs in 82 at-bats.

The San Francisco Giants are finding out the hard way that defending a title is not so easy to do. They are going to finish the season with a record under .500 for the first time since 2008, when they went 72-90 and finished fourth in the National League West division.

The team does have some decisions to make in the off season and one of them involves a very popular member of their starting rotation. The “Franchise” Tim Lincecum will be a free agent at the end of the season and the Giants will have to decide what they want to do.

There has been a decrease in velocity from his fastball and this has resulted in him having troubles getting opposing batters out. He has had to transform from a pitcher that could blow hitters away with a blazing fastball to one that now relies on spotting his various pitches.

Justin Morneau is a great addition to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team is hoping that he can propel them to a division title along with the other new faces to their squad. Morneau is having a very productive season with him hitting .259 to include 17 HRs and and 74 RBIs. He is not the guy who was the AL MVP in 2006 that hit 34 HRs while driving in 130 RBIs and had an average of .321. He can still provide a team with solid at-bats in a game and is a good guy to have in the clubhouse. The left-hander can hit righties as good as southpaws. He has a .286 average facing right-handers and hist .282 against left-handed pitchers. He still knows how to handle the bat with runners in scoring position, as indicated by him having 54 RBIs in this situation.

Corbin has been the ace of the rotation since he made his first start of the season for Arizona and has not looked back. If the Dbacks make the postseason, he will be one of the reasons why this happens. The young left-hander leads the team in wins with 13 on the season. He also has a 2.79 ERA in 177.2 inning pitched while just walking 45 batters and striking out 154. He has a WHIP of 1.04 and is limiting batters to a .216 average on the season. Corbin is holding left-handed batters to a batting average of just .180 in 150 at-bats this season. He also knows how to pitch well at Chase Field with him winning eight games at home and having a 1.86 ERA. The youngster is stingy with runners in scoring position, as teams only have a .197 batting average in this situation.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have had highs and lows this season, and there is still a chance they could make the playoffs. Arizona sits 8 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West division.

The Dodgers seem like they are running away with the division title, but Arizona still has seven games left against them in September to narrow the gap and put some pressure on them.

A.J. Burnett is showing that he is not a one-hit wonder by having another solid year pitching for the Pirates in their rotation. He leads the club in strikeouts with 160 on the season in 145.2 innings pitched, with a WHIP of 1.22 and a 3.09 ERA. He has allowed nine Home Runs with him walking 53 batters. Burnett has a strikeout per nine of 9.9 and is holding opponents to a batting average of .231. He has been very tough on right-handers by holding them to an average of .203 in 286 at-bats. The right-hander is just as good with runners in scoring position, as indicated by teams just hitting .188 in this situation. When there are two outs and runners in scoring position, he limits teams to a .197 average.

There have been plenty of story lines this season in baseball, and one them is could the Pittsburgh Pirates finally end their drought of losing seasons. For those that don’t know the Pirates have not had a winning baseball season since 1992.

This is a long time to go without having a winning season and the fans in Pittsburgh have been waiting some time to see a good baseball club.

The Pirates have a great fan base and also they have one of the most beautiful ballparks in all of baseball. PNC Park has a great skyline that shows off the city and the three yellow bridges.

Jose Altuve is a great and dynamic player for the Astros. He is a threat to steal bases constantly, as he has swiped 30 bases and has only been caught eight times. He is hitting .277 on the season with 164 Total Bases, that includes him having 128 hits. He knows how to put the ball in play with him only striking out 67 times in 462 at-bats. Altuve does great against left-handers with a .302 batting average against them, but is only hitting .267 facing right-handers on the season. He is best when he hits from the lead off position, as indicated by a .326 average. He also has a .429 batting average when he bats in the 6th inning.

The Houston Astros are not having a great baseball season in 2013 and this was not much of a surprise. This is the first season in which they are playing in the American League, as they were members of the National League since 1962.

They joined the American League West division and as expected they are last in the division. The Astros trail the Texas Rangers by 30 ½ games and at 41-83, they have the worst record in baseball.

Jose Bautista is one of the power threats in the line up for Toronto. He has rebounded nicely this season, after injuries cut his 2012 season short. He has a .261/.357/.857 triple-slash in 2013 with 27 HRs and 72 RBIs in 440 at-bats. He has 51 extra-base hits on the season, with 115 hits overall to go along with 220 Total Bases. He fares better against right-handers with a .263 batting average in 350 at-bats against them, while he is just hitting .256 facing southpaws. Bautista is still a threat with runners in scoring position, as indicated by his .301/.410/1.002 triple-slash with 6 HRs and 45 RBIs in this situation. He is still solid with two outs and runners in scoring position with a .306 batting average and 17 RBIs. They need him to stay healthy to contend in 2014.

The Toronto Blue Jays have not had the greatest of seasons with them dead last in the American League East division. They trail the Boston Red Sox by 15 games and the chances of them being a Wild Card team are slim at best.

One of the reasons that this season has been a nightmare for the team that made plenty of noise during the offseason is with their pitching. They have allowed 590 runs this season, and only the Houston Astros have allowed more runs at 633 this season.

Jered Weaver is the ace of the staff for the Angels, but has had issues avoiding the disables list this season. When healthy Weaver is one of the best pitchers in the AL. He has won seven games for the Halos, while sporting a 2.87 ERA in 103.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 82 batters and has just walked 24 with a WHIP of 1.10. The right-hander is limiting the opposition to a .233 batting average on the season, with left-handed batters just managing a .231 average. He knows how to pitch when runners are in scoring position, as indicated by teams just having a .230 average in this situation.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have set high expectations coming into this season, and for the second straight off season they were able to sign a highly coveted free agent.

This season has gone from bad to worst with the team trailing the Texas Rangers by 14 games in the American League West division. One reason they have struggled is that they have allowed 546 runs this season, which is third most in the AL.

Cliff Lee is having another solid season in the rotation for the Phillies. If some team can pry him away from Philadelphia, their rotation improves dramatically. Lee has won 10 games with a 3.13 ERA in 149.2 innings pitched to include him having a WHIP of 1.04. He has excellent command of the strike zone by walking just 24 batters and striking out 139 on the season. He is seventh in the NL with a WAR of 4.0 for pitchers. He also knows how to pitch when the post season starts, with him starting 11 career games to go along with a 2.52 ERA in those games. He is holding opposing batters to a .235 batting average, with left-handed batters hitting .253 against him this season. He is superb by limiting teams to a .236 average once runners are in scoring position.

This year’s trade deadline just went by with not too many big trades taking place. The only one that could classify as a somewhat big deal was the three-team deal between the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers.

Jose Reyes is a key component to the Blue Jays offense. They will need him to stay healthy going into next season for the club. He has a .312/.370/.842 triple-slash in 199 at-bats with eight HRs and 25 RBIs on the season for Toronto. He has stolen 11 bases, while only being caught four times to go along with having 62 hits on the season. He has a batting average of .311 against right-handers, and is hitting .313 facing left-handers. He does well with runners in scoring position, as indicated by his .269 average and .701 OPS in this situation. He is most dangerous in the 5th inning this season, with a .478/.538/1.191 triple-slash.

Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best all-round shortstops in baseball. He plays Gold Glove caliber defense, and is a great offensive player. He is the heart and soul of the Colorado Rockies. They are a better team when he is on the field. Tulo has a .321/.387/.977 triple-slash in 290 at-bats this season. He has 20HRs and 60 RBIs on the season to go along with 18 Doubles and 93 hits overall. He is first in the NL with a Fielding Percentage of .992. The young shortstop can hit righties or lefties. However he does have a higher average against righties with a .330 average facing them. He is also excellent with runners in scoring position, as indicated by his .330 batting average and 40 RBIs in 90 at-bats in this situation.

The season for the Colorado Rockies may be near its breaking point with the 10 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West division.

They might want to start thinking about next season and try to salvage what they can from the rest of this season. The biggest issue with the team right now is their pitching, as they are last in the NL with a 4.32 ERA from their pitching and they have allowed 514 runs.

Coco Crisp is having a good season for the Athletics, while playing superb defense for the club. He has a .251/.332/.752 triple-slash in 347 at-bats on the season. He has 10 HRs and 39 RBIs to include 16 Doubles and 87 hits overall. Coco is still a threat to steal bases with him swiping 16 bases and has only been caught four times. He also shows tremendous plate discipline with walking and striking out 45 times this season. He is a switch-hitter, but prefers to face right-handers with a .275 batting average in 218 at-bats. He does struggle against left-handers, as he only has a .214 average in 126 at-bats. He does a good job with runners in scoring position, as indicated by his .266 average and 29 RBIs in 64 at-bats.

The surprise team in the American League this season has to be the Oakland Athletics. They have a 2 ½ game lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West division and they are doing it with their pitching.

The Athletics are 6th in the AL with a starters ERA of 3.90 this season and they have a solid offense that is 8th in the AL with 488 runs scored. The best thing about this team is that their rotation is comprised of several young pitchers.

Kyle Lohse has been the one bright spot for the Brewers starting rotation this season. He is the ace of the staff and he can be someone that the younger pitchers can look up to. The right-hander has won seven games for the club this season, with an ERA of 3.22 in 134.1 innings pitched. He has also has a WHIP of 1.13 and has only walked 22 batters. Lohse relies on having control of all his pitches to have success against opposing batters. He is limiting batters to a .254 average on the season and left-handers can only manage a .232 batting average in 233 at-bats. He is very impressive while pitching with runners in scoring position, as teams just have a .194 average.

The Milwaukee Brewers season in 2013 is one both the fans and team would like to erase from their memory. They have the 2nd worst record in the National League at 46-64 and they are also last in the NL Central with them 20 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

They just had the face of the franchise Ryan Braun suspended for the rest of the season, because he was named in the Biogenesis scandal. For a team to lose a player like him, this would be normally be a crushing blow.

Joe Thatcher was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks on the last day of the Trade Deadline. This acquisition makes their bullpen stronger with having a pitcher that can get lefties out on a consistent basis. He has 2.10 ERA in 30 innings pitched this season, while only giving three HRs, and walking four batters. He has a WHIP of 1.06 and has struck out 29 batters. He is holding the opposing batters to a .243 average this season, while holding left-handed batters to a .215 average. Thatcher is very good with runners in scoring position as well, by holding teams to a batting average of .121 in this situation. He does not throw hard with a fastball that sits in the mid 80s and a sweeping slider. He has held lefty batters to a 209./.269/.586 triple-slash in 344 career at-bats.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the kings of the National League West division for most of this season, and that’s not saying much. That division is not what you would call competitive, with only two teams that have a record over. 500.

Arizona was able to maintain their lead in large part because the Los Angeles Dodgers were dealing with numerous injuries.Then once the Dodgers had key players healthy, Los Angeles started to play better.

Bartolo Colon is anchoring the rotation for the Athletics this season. He is one of the many reasons why they have jumped out to huge division lead this season. He has already won 14 games for them this season to go along with an ERA of 2.54 in 141.2 innings pitched. He is not the strikeout pitcher he was in the past, but is still effective against opposing batters. Colon has displayed great control this season by only walking 18 batters and has a 1.09 WHIP. He is 4th in the AL with a WAR of 4.5 for pitchers . He is also 2nd in the AL with Win-Loss percentage of.824 to include him throwing three shutouts this season.

For the most of this season in baseball it seemed like the Oakland Athletics were going to have some competition in the American League West Division.

The Texas Rangers were expected to challenge them for the division title, but that is not the case this season. Oakland has a five game lead over the Rangers with more than two months left in the baseball season.

Alex Rios is one option that the Rangers could go with to meet the need of a right-handed bat for their club. He has a .272 average and a .752 OPS in 397 at-bats for the White Sox this season to include hitting 12 HRs and having 49 RBIs. The right-handed outfielder is also very adept at stealing bases, as he has already stolen 22 bases while being caught just six times. He also play good defense in the outfield as well with only committing three errors. Rios is a right-hander, but he excels in facing left-handers with a .296 batting average and an OPS of .829. He does most of his damage in 6th inning, as indicated by him hitting .352 with 19 hits in 54 at-bats this season.

For most baseball teams that won’t make the playoffs, the Trade Deadline is a way for them to trade players away that will be impending free agents the following season.

The teams don’t see these players as a part of their long-term plans for the organization will want to get something in return rather than just allowing the player to sign with another team and they get nothing in return.

Joey Votto is having another good season for the Reds and he will be force in their lineup for years to come. The power numbers for him are down from years past with him only hitting 16 HRs and having 47 RBIs. However the opposition still has to respect his bat and if a pitcher makes a mistake expect him to hit the ball a long way. He has a .317/.429/.931 triple-slash in 388 at-bats this season with 20 Doubles. He is 7th in the NL with 195 Total Bases, and is also 8th with a WAR of 4.7. Votto is 1st in Times On Base in the NL at 202. He obliterates right-handed pitching with a .335 batting average, and handles left-handers just as good with a .286 average.

The Cincinnati Reds are playing well this season with them winning 59 games, but they are five games out of first place. The Reds are 3rd in the National League Central division behind both the Pittsburgh Pirates and St.Louis Cardinals.

Cincinnati is third in the NL with them scoring 463 runs on the season. They are great at home, and have the 2nd best home record in the NL. The problem for them is hitting away Great American Ball Park with winning just 27 games and three games under .500 on the road.

Tim Lincecum is not having the best season pitching for the Giants. However he did throw a no-hitter a couple of weeks ago against the San Diego Padres. The next start that followed he got hit hard. He has a 4.73 ERA in 120 innings pitched while giving up 13 HRs and striking out 127 batters. The strike out number looks good, but having a WHIP of 1.37 does not. The opposition has a .253 batting average against him this season, with right-handers hitting .262. The opposing teams love to hit with runners in scoring position facing him, as they a .297 average in this situation. That average increases up to .302 with runners in scoring position and two outs. The Giants could use him as a reliever, if his struggles continue this season.

The defending World Series Champions San Francisco Giants are struggling this season and with the trade dealing approaching fast will they become buyers or sellers.

The good news for them is that they play in a very weak National League West Division. The current leader in the division, Los Angeles Dodgers a couple of weeks ago was 9 ½ games out of first, and now they are in first place.

Matt Garza was the big fish in this year’s trade deadline. There were plenty of teams that him had him on their radar, and they scouted every game he pitched for the Cubs this season. He won six games for them this season with a 3.17 ERA in 71 innings pitched to go along with 62 strike outs and 20 walks. He has a WHIP of 1.14 and has only given up eight home runs on the season. Garza is holding the opposition to a .229 batting average, while righties only hit .224 when facing him. He is good when runners are in scoring position, as indicated by teams just managing a .245 average. The Rangers got the pitcher they wanted, and he should bring some stability to their rotation.

The Chicago Cubs were trying to find the perfect trade partner this season with them having the premier starting pitcher available this trade deadline.

Matt Garza was the best pitcher on the market for teams who needed help with their rotation could acquire. The one caveat is that those teams would have to give up very good prospects in their farm system to obtain his services.

Mike Trout is one of the best young outfielders in the game of baseball today. He is currently carrying the Angels on offense right now, but he needs some help as he can’t do it all by himself. He is once again having a stellar year on offense with a .324/.402/.965 triple-slash on the season to go along with 16 HRs and 61 RBIs. He is also a threat on the base paths as well with him swiping 22 bases and has only been caught four times. The right-hander is hitting .323 against righties, while handling left-handers with no issues, as he has a .326 average against them. He is even better with runners in scoring position with a .323 average and a OPS of .967.

Craig Kimbrel is one of the best young closers in baseball. He has saved 27 games this season for the Braves and with only three blown saves. The hard-throwing righty has a 1.49 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 13 walks in 36.1 innings pitched. He has a WHIP of 0.99 and 14.1 SO/9. The opposition is just hitting .181 against him, and he is holding right-handed batters to a .140 average. He is holding opposing teams an average of just .129 when runners are in scoring position. They fare a little better with runners on and two outs with a .176 average.

The Atlanta Braves have a comfortable lead in the National League East division with them ahead 6 ½ games on the Philadelphia Phillies. This division is having a down year, with no team a legitimate threat to catch Atlanta.

The Braves have a high-powered offense that only a few teams in baseball can match. They have the 3rd best offense in the NL with them scoring 425 runs this season. Atlanta has a play style that is more suited to the American League than the NL.

Cespedes put on quite a show in this years HR Derby with him turning Citi Field into his own hitters paradise. He is hitting just .225 on the season for the Athletics. The value he has to the team means more than numbers can show. The opposing teams have to respect the power that he has. Cespedes power numbers are still good with him hitting 15 HRs and 43 RBIs. He does fairly well facing left-handers this season with him hitting .253 against him. He does struggle facing right-handers with his average just at .214 in 220 at-bats.

If you did not get a chance to watch the HR Derby on Monday, you missed a great young player put on a show. Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes made Citi Field look like a hitters’ park with each ball he launched into orbit.

That ballpark is not known for being friendly to hitters, but don’t tell Cespedes that. This is not the first time he has been in a competition like this, and it won’t be his last.

Yoenis Cespedes 17 Homeruns in the First Round of the 2013 Homerun Derby

The Mets have arguably the best young right-handed pitcher in baseball. He is the ace of their starting rotation, and has a chance to be their best pitcher for a long time. Harvey has seven wins on the season with a 2.35 ERA with 147 strike outs in 130 innings pitched and a WHIP of 0.91. He has a SO/9 of 10.2 and has only surrendered seven Home runs. He is holding the opposition to a .196 average, while holding left-handed batters to a .175 average. He is especially good with runners in scoring position, as teams just hit .231 in this situation.

The New York Mets are fourth in the National League East division going into the All-Star break and that won’t change in the second half of the season for this club.

The teams that are ahead of them in their division are more adept at scoring runs, and have better starting rotations. The second part could change with two young arms already in the rotation with Harvey and Wheeler.

Johnson is by far the most illustrious pitcher that has pitched for the franchise. He holds multiple pitching records for the team, and it will take some time for someone to even come close to breaking those records. The “Big Unit” came to the desert in 1999, and his impact was felt immediately, by him winning 17 games in his first season with 271.2 innings pitched and he struck out 364 batters. he would go on to win the CY Young Award his first four seasons with the club, while averaging 354 strikeouts per season in his first four years in Arizona. Johnson is 2nd all-time in MLB history with 4,875 career strikeouts.He along with Curt Schilling was crucial was in bringing a World Series title to the desert in 2001. He had a SO/9 of 11.5 during the eight seasons he spent with the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks have had good years and bad years in terms of pitching for their club. The first season for the club which was in 1998, they lost 97 games and 69 of those losses were from the rotation, which caused to finish last in the National West Division.

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Here are today’s minor league transactions from around baseball, with the newest moves at the top of the post… Chris Capuano has accepted his outright assignment from the Yankees and reported to Triple-A, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The veteran southpaw had the option of becoming a free agent, though doing so would’ve forfeited the roughly $1.7MM stil […]

The Cubs have designated pitcher Yoervis Medina for assignment, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Medina, who turned 27 last week, came to the Cubs in the May deal sending Welington Castillo to the Mariners. The right-hander has tossed a combined 21 innings for the Cubs and Mariners this season, adding up to a 4.71 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in […]

The Cubs announced that they have designated Taylor Teagarden for assignment. In a related move, left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The 31-year-old Teagarden hit .303/.403/.579 in 211 plate appearances with the Mets’ hitter-friendly Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season. This season, he has slashed .294/.375/.43 […]

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league. The Mets have signed pitcher Tim Stauffer to a minor league contract, according to the MLB transactions page. Stauffer was released by the Twins earlier this summer and signed with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters in mid-July. He posted a 6.60 ERA in 15 innings with the Twins. Over a 590 inning major le […]

The Rockies have designated reliever Aaron Laffey for assignment, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The transaction was part of a series of moves that allowed the club to recall Christian Bergman, Scott Oberg, and Kyle Parker. Pitcher Kyle Kendrick and outfielder Corey Dickerson were placed on the disabled list. The Rockies also designated Laffey o […]